How to Use Negative Keywords in Google Ads to Improve Your Results

Running a successful Google Ads campaign requires more than just picking the right keywords that will trigger your ads, you also need to know which keywords to avoid. That’s where negative keywords come in. Read the article to learn how negative keywords work, why they are essential and how using them can save you money and boost your campaign’s performance!

What Are Negative Keywords?

Negative keywords are words or phrases that you do not want your ads to show for when people search. By adding negative keywords to your Google Ads campaign, you ensure that your ads will not appear in irrelevant searches. This helps you target the right audience, avoid wasting money, and improve your ad performance.

For example, if you are selling luxury watches and you add “cheap” as a negative keyword, your ad will not appear when someone searches for “cheap watches.” This way, you’re not paying for clicks from people looking for products you don’t offer.

Why Are Negative Keywords Important?

  1. They Save You Money: Every click on your ad costs you money, so if someone clicks on your ad after searching for something unrelated, you have wasted part of your budget. Negative keywords prevent your ads from being shown to people who are not likely to convert, saving you money.
  2. They Improve Ad Relevance: Google rewards ads that are more relevant to what users are searching for. By removing irrelevant searches with negative keywords, your ads become more closely aligned with users’ needs, which can lead to better ad placement and lower costs per click (CPC).
  3. They Boost Click-Through Rate (CTR): If your ad appears in irrelevant searches, people probably will not click on it. This lowers your CTR, which can affect your overall campaign performance. 

How to Choose Negative Keywords:

To get the best results, follow these steps when selecting negative keywords:

  1. Think About Irrelevant Searches: Start by brainstorming words that are related to your business but do not match the type of customer you want. If for example you offer a product only in specific geographical areas, you might want to utilize locations not being served by you as negative keywords.
  2. Use the Search Terms Report: In Google Ads, you can view a Search Terms Report that shows actual searches that triggered your ads. This report can help you spot irrelevant keywords that people are searching for. If you find terms that appear irrelevant, add them as negative keywords.
  3. Consider Variations and Synonyms: Think about how people might phrase things differently. For example, “free,” “cheap,” and “low-cost” could all be added as negative keywords if you are focusing on premium products or services.

Types of Negative Keywords

When adding negative keywords you can choose  between:

  • Broad Match, which blocks your ad from showing in any search containing the negative keyword, 
  • Phrase Match, which stops ads when the phrase appears in a search query, and 
  • Exact Match, which only prevents ads for the exact search term.

In conclusion, negative keywords are a powerful tool in Google Ads that can help you avoid showing your ads to the wrong audience, saving you money, and improving your campaign results. By carefully selecting and regularly updating your negative keywords, you can boost the relevance of your ads, improve your click-through rate, and get the most out of your advertising budget. Start using negative keywords today to maximize your ad performance and ensure that every click counts!

At Socialway we have significant experience in running Google Ads campaigns for our customers and are a Google Ads Certified Partner. Feel free to contact us if you would like to learn more about our Google Ads services.